Spinneret making machine



Sept. 27, 1960 o. v. PETIT 2,954,065

SPINNERET MAKING MACHINE Original Filed Sept. 26, 1956 4 ets-sheet 1 INVENTOR ONE/P L. 1/ PET/7 p 1950 o. L. v. PETIT 2,954,065

SPINNERET MAKING MACHINE Original Filed Sept. 26,1956 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR ONE/P L. 1/ PET/T TI'ORNEY SPINNERET MAKING MACHINE Omer Leon Victor Petit, Anderlecht, Brussels, Belgium, assignor to Chimiotex Societe Anonyme, Tangier, North Africa, a corporation of Tangier Original application Sept. 26, 1956, Ser. No. 612,227. Divided and this application Feb. 27, 1958, Ser. No. 717,993

Claims priority, application Belgium Oct. 13, 1955 9 Claims. (Cl. 153-21) This invention relates generally to an apparatus for perforating spinnerets which are used in the manufacture of artificial textiles from alkaline solutions by means of acid baths. More specifically, this invention relates'to the construction and operation of the punch holding and actuating mechanism by which the spinnerets are perforated;

States Patent shaft having a fixed throw; and I provide a permanent magnet by which the punch is raised, after each downi ward movement, and held until again positively forced downwardly by the crankshaft. A lost motion connec{ tion is provided between the crankshaft and the punch such that the downward movement of the punch is not and this application is a division of my copending applinumber of perforations varies between 8,000 and 24,000

depending upon the particular textile being manufactured from alkaline solutions by means of an acid bath. The perforations are generally arranged in concentric circles, either with uniform distribution and spacing of perforations or in special patterns with intermediate unperforated areas. Also, the perforations may be spirally arranged if desired.

In the manufacture of spinnerets of this character an unperforated cup-shaped spinneret is placed in a cupshaped holder, upon a pad of softer material such as aluminum, disposed below a vertically reciprocal punch. Each reciprocation of the punch forces the metal downwardly forming a burr. After the punching of a spinneret has been completed, the spinneret is removed from the holder and the burrs removed by suitable polishing abrasive for opening the perforations, after which various finishing operations are applied.

After each downwardmost movement of the punch it is held for a predetermined period of time at the uppermost movement thereof. During this dwell of the punch at the uppermost movement thereof the spinneret cup and a spinneret therein are rotated and/or shifted laterally in l accordance with the predetermined pattern of perforations being punched therein.

In previous machines of this type, as shown in the patents to Thomann et al., No. 2,709,492 and No. 2,742,088, the punch and holding mechanism therefore were positively raised and after a dwell in their uppermost position dropped by gravity, the punching force of this gravity drop being determined by weighting means applied to the upper end of the punch holder. Such constructions by which the punch was positively raised and dropped by gravity on the punching stroke as heretofore used required in their construction complicated arrangements of cams, gears, racks, linkages, and weights. Furthermore with construction of this kind, it is not possible to assume that the punch always penetrated the spinneret the exact same amount on every punching stroke, since the downward force of the punch is dependent on the height the punch drops and the mass of the weight applied thereto.

According to my invention, I positively drive thepunch on its downward stroke by a continuously rotating crank started until the crank has rotated through approximately from top dead center. A dwell in the reciprocation of the punch is thereby provided at the upper limit of movement thereof.- A cup-shaped spinneret holder is disposed below the punch in position for the bottom wall of a spinneret mounted therein to be perforated by the punch in accordance with a predetermined pattern. The spinneret holder is rotatably mounted upon a laterally shiftable support. Automatic means .are provided by which the holder is slightly rotated after each punching stroke and the support is shifted at predetermined times.

Such automatic means is not shown and described in de tail herein since it forms no part of the present invention. Various such means are available. It may be such as shown in the aforesaid copending application, or in either of the aforesaid Thomann et a1. patents.

The principal object of the invention is to greatly improve and simplify the punch actuating means of spinneret punching machines.

Having stated the principal object of the invention, other and more limited objects of the invention will be apparent from the following specification and the drawings forming a part thereof in which: I

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of a spinneret punching machine embodying my invention; 3

Fig. 2 is a side elevation thereof, looking fromthe le of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a horizontal sectional view taken substantially on the line 33 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a central vertical sectionalview taken substantially on the line 44 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical section showing the crank in top dead center position and the punch being held in uppermost position;

Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 5 showing the punch being held in uppermost position and the actuating mechanism therefor in the position it assumes after the crank has been rotated through an are just sufiicient to'take up the lost motion between the punch and actuating at the beginning of the downward punching stroke;

Fig. 7 is a view similar to Figs. 5 and 6 showing the .punch and actuating mechanism at the bottomof the Fig. 9 is an enlarged fragmentary section showing holes formed in the spinneret by grinding the burrs fromthe outer surface thereof.

Referring now to the drawing by reference characters, the spinneret punching machine as shown herein coinprises a base 1 having a pair of transversely spaced simi-.

lar vertical columns 2 and 3 secured thereto and extending upwardly therefrom. The reduced upper ends of the supporting columns 2 and 3 are connected together by a strut 4 which is secured in place by nuts 5 screwed onto the reduced threaded upper ends of the columns.

A frame, generally indicated by the numeral 6, upon,

which all of the punching mechanism is mounted, is slidably mounted for vertical adjustmentupon the support columns 2 and 3 adjacent the upper ends thereof. The frame 6 comprises a pair of sleeves 7 and 8 which are slidably mounted upon the columns 2 and 3; and-are I connected together adjacent'the upper ends thereof by a cross-bar 9 formed integral therewith. The slide 6 is adapted to be vertically adjusted and to be held in adjusted position by a vertical screw the reduced unthreaded upper end 11 of which is rotatably mounted in a boss 12 integral with the strut 4. .The threaded lower end of the screw 10 extends down through a complementary threaded aperture 14 in the cross-bar 9. A handwheel 15 by which the screw 10 is adapted to be rotated to adjust the frame up or down is secured to the reduced I upper end 11 of the screw 10. The upper end of the screw 10. is also provided with a calibrated disc 16 which cooperates with a fixed pointer 17 to indicate the amount of movement of the frame 6 upon rotation of the screw 10 by the hand-wheel 15.

A crank shaft 18 having a crank 19 is rotatably mounted in suitable bearings carried by a pair of bearing brackets 20 which are integral with and extend forwardly from the cross-bar 9. The crankshaft 18 is adapted to be rotated by a motor 21 through a belt 22 and a pulley 23 which is secured to one end of the crankshaft 18. The motor 21 is mounted upon a bracket 24 which is secured to and extends rearwardly from the sleeve 8 of the frame 6.

A vertically reciprocal ram 25 is mounted in a tubular guide 26 which is secured to and between the lower ends of the sleeves 7 and 8 directly below the crankshaft 18 by a pair of converging arms 27. The upper end of the ram 25 is connected to the crank 19; of the crank shaft by a connecting rod 28 through which the ram is reciprocated by the rotation of the crank shaft. A forwardly extending arm 29 which is secured to the lower end of the ram 25 by a screw 30 carries a vertically disposed tubular punch guide 31. A cylindrical punch holder 32, having a pulley 33 secured to the upper end thereof, is removably mounted in the punch guide 31 and is held in fixed position therein by a set-screw 34. A punch spindle 35 is slidably but non-rotatably mounted in the holder 32, a key 36 and key slot 37 being provided to prevent rotation of the spindle during up and down movement thereof in the holder 32. A soft iron armature disc 38 is permanently secured to the upper end of the spindle 35, and a punch 39 is removably secured to the lower end of the spindle 35 by a chuck 40.

A permanent horse-shoe magnet 41 is disposed above the punch spindle 35 in axial alignment therewith. The magnet 41 is mounted upon a split arm 42 one end of which is pivotally secured by a pivot screw 43 to a boss 44 which extends forwardly from the frame sleeve 7. The other end of the split arm 42 is provided with an upwardly and rearwardly extending extension 45 which is secured to a boss on the adjacent bearing bracket 20 by a screw 47. Upon the loosening of the screw 47 the arm 42 and magnet 41 thereon may be swung outwardly, by a handle 48, from over the spindle 35. The punch holder 32, spindle 35 and the punch 39 carried thereby can then be removed as a unit from the punch guide 31 and placed in a lathe for sharpening the punch.

A counter 50 is mounted upon a bracket 51, which is also secured to the boss 44, in position to be actuated each revolution of the crank shaft 18. The counter 50 is adapted to open a switch 52, and thereby de-energize and stop the motor 21, after the prerequisite number of perforations have been made in a spinneret blank.

A platen 53 is slidably mounted between gibs 54, on the base 1. The platen 53 is provided with enlarged slots 55 through which the columns 2 and 3 extend upwardly from the base 1. A spinneret holder supporting member 56, having a recess 57 therein, is adjustably mounted upon the platen 53 below the punch spindle 35 by means of T-slots 58 in the platen 53 and a T-bolt 59 which extends through a lug 60 integral with the member 56. A cup-shaped spinneret holder 61 is rotatably mounted upon the member 56 by means of a vertical stud 62 which is secured to the bottom of the spinneret holder 61 and is suitably mounted in the member 56 as shown in Figs. 2 and 4. The stud 62 has a worm gear 63 secured thereto, within the recess 57, which meshes with a worm 64 carried by a shaft 65 which is rotatably mounted in suitable bearings carried by the member 56 and extends outwardly therefrom. The spinneret holder 61 is adapted to be rotated a predetermined amount after each punching stroke of the punch spindle 35 and punch 39 carried thereby by mechanism, not shown, through the shaft 65, worm 64 and worm gear 63. The spinneret holder 61 is also provided with a spur gear 66, which forms part of a gear train 67, through which the spinneret holder commands the rotation of the turn table 68, which supports a pattern plate. The pattern plate and the automatic means to produce the desired pattern of holes in the spinneret are not shown and described since it forms no part of the present invention. The platen 53 is adapted to be shifted longitudinally back and forth by a screw 69 which is operatively connected to still other mechanism, not shown. The various rotating and shifting mechanisms which are not shown are operative to automatically rotate and shift the spinneret holder 61 and a spinneret blank therein in accordance with a predetermined pattern of holes to be punched. Since the mechanisms for rotating and shifting the spinneret holder and a spinneret blank therein form no part of the present invention they are not shown and described in detail herein. Various mechanisms are available for this purpose. As previously stated, the mechanism disclosed in my copending application Serial No. 612,127 filed Sept. 26, 1956 and now abandoned, may be used. Or either of the mechanisms disclosed in the aforesaid Thomann et al. patents may be used, in which case the platen 53 must be mounted for laterally shifting movement upon the base 1 instead of longitudinal movement.

In operation a spinneret blank 70 is placed in the spinneret holder 61 upon a pad 71 of soft material such as aluminum. Each punching stroke of the punch spindle 35 drives the punch 39 into the spinneret blank 70 forming a boss 72 on the bottom thereof which is embedded in the aluminum pad 71, as shown in Fig. 8. After the prerequisite number of punching strokes, the spinneret blank 70 is removed from the spinneret holder 61 and the burrs 72 ground off, leaving the holes 73 in the spinneret as shown in Fig. 9.

The manner in which the punch spindle 35 and punch 39 carried thereby are reciprocated in punching and return strokes with a dwell in the movement thereof in uppermost position is shown in Figs. 5, 6 and 7, it being understood that the permanent horse-shoe magnet 41 is of sufficient strength to attract and raise the spindle and punch from the bottom of the punching stroke, as shown in Fig. 7, to the top thereof, as shown in Fig. 5, and hold them in raised position until they are forced downwardly again by the ram 25. The ram 25 is reciprocated up and down between the positions shown in Figs. 5 and 7 by the crank shaft 13, which is constantly rotated at a rate between and 200 revolutions per minute. During the time the ram 25, punch guide 31 and holder 32 are moved up from the position shown in Fig. 6 to the position shown in Fig. 5 and back down to the position shown in Fig. 6, the punch spindle 35 and punch 39 carried thereby are held by the magnet 41 at rest in their uppermost position. It is during this dwell in the movement thereof that the spinneret holder 61 and spinneret 70 therein are shifted in accordance with the pattern of holes being formed in the spinneret. During the downward punching stroke of the ram the punch holder 32 engages the chuck 40 at the position shown in Fig. 6, after which the punch spindle 35 and punch 39 are forced downwardly therewith, against the pull of the magnet 41, to the bottom of the punching stroke, as shown in Fig. 7. During the upward movement of the ram 25 and punch holder 32 the spindle 35 and punch 39 are raised upwardly along therewith, by the attraction of the magnet 41, to the position shown in Fig. 6, at which time the spindle and punch are in their uppermost position, in

which position they remain at rest until the ram and punch holder move up to the position shown in Fig. 5 and back down to the position shown in Fig. 6 on the next punching stroke. A lost motion connection is thereby provided between the constantly reciprocating ram 25 and the punch spindle 35.

From the foregoing it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that I have provided a very simple and eflicient mechanism for accomplishing the objects of the invention.

It is to be understood that I am not limited to the specific construction shown and described herein, as various modifications may be made therein within the spirit of the invention and the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus for punching spinneret blanks comprising a base, a platen slidably mounted on said base, a spinneret holder rotatably mounted on said platen, a vertically disposed punch spindle slidably mounted above said spinneret holder for reciprocation in punching and return strokes, means by which a punch is removably secured to the lower end of said punch spindle, a crank shaft adapted to be constantly rotated during operation, a lost motion connection between said crank shaft and said punch spindle through which said spindle is positively driven downwardly in punching strokes by said crank shaft, and means independent of said crank shaft by which said spindle is raised in return strokes after each punching stroke and is held in uppermost position with a dwell in its movement between successive punching strokes.

2. An apparatus for punching spinneret blanks as defined in claim 1 in which said means comprises an armature secured to the upper end of said spindle and a magnet disposed above said spindle in position to attract and hold said armature and said spindle.

3. An apparatus for punching spinneret blanks as defined in claim 2 in which said magnet is mounted upon a pivoted arm by which said magnet is swung into and out of position over said spindle.

4. An apparatus for punching spinneret blanks comprising a base, a platen slidably mounted on said base, supporting means secured to and extending upwardly from said base, a vertically adjustable frame slidably mounted on said supporting means above said platen, a crank shaft rotatably mounted on said frame, means carried by said frame by which said crank shaft is constantly rotated during operation, a vertically disposed ram guide secured to said frame below said crank shaft, a ram slidably mounted in said guide, a connecting rod operatively connected to said crank shaft and to said ram through which said ram is reciprocated by the rotation of said crank shaft, a vertically disposed punch guide secured to said ram for reciprocation therewith, a punch holder removably secured in fixed position in said punch guide, a punch spindle slidably but non-rotatably mounted in said punch holder, means by which a punch is removably secured to the lower end of said punch spindle, a lost motion connection between said ram and said punch spindle through which said punch spindle is positively forced downwardly in punching strokes by said ram during a portion of the downward movement thereof, a spinneret holder rotatably mounted on said platen below said punch holder and spindle, and means independent of said crank shaft which is carried by said frame and is operative to raise said punch spindle in return strokes after each punching stroke and to hold said punch spindle in uppermost position with a dwell in its movement between successive punching strokes.

5. An apparatus for punching spinneret blanks as defined in claim 4 in which said last mentioned means comprises an armature secured to the upper end of said punch spindle and a magnet carried by said frame above said punch guide in position to attract and hold said armature and said spindle.

6. An apparatus for punching spinneret blanks as defined in claim 5 in which said magnet is mounted upon an arm pivotally secured to said frame and by which said magnet is swung into and out of position over said punch guide to permit removal of said punch holder and spindle as a unit from said punch guide.

7. Apparatus for punching spinneret blanks which comprises a rotatably mounted spinneret holder, a punch guide disposed in registration with said holder, constantly rotating crank means for reciprocating said guide in punching and return strokes, a punch holder removably secured in said guide, a punch spindle slidable in said punch holder and having a punch receiving means, said guide having means engaging said punch spindle to positively advance said spindle a fixed predetermined distance on each punching stroke, and means independent of said guide to retract said punch spindle after each punching stroke and hold said spindle retracted for a predetermined length of time between successive punching strokes of said guide.

8. Apparatus for punching spinneret blanks which comprises a rotatably mounted spineret holder, a punch guide disposed in registration with said holder, constantly rotating crank means for reciprocating said guide in punching and return strokes, a punch holder removably secured in said guide, a punch spindle slidable in said punch holder and having a punch receiving means, said guide having means engaging said punch spindle to advance the same on its punching stroke, and magnetic means to retract said punch spindle after each punching stroke and to hold said spindle retracted a predetermined length of time between successive punching strokes.

9. A spinneret punching apparatus as defined in claim 7, in which said punch holder and said punch spindle are removable as a unit from said guide.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 435,264 Van Depoele Aug. 26, 1890 1,667,012 Pieper Apr. 24, 1928 2,148,221 Schneider Feb. 21, 1939 2,597,559 Bekey May 20, 1952 2,704,125 Taylor Mar. 15, 1955 2,730,175 Piperoux Jan. 10, 1956 FOREIGN PATENTS 705,398 France June 5, 1931 

